A Parent's Worst Nightmare
by Tina101
Summary: Gabriella and Troy are finally going to be parents, but what happens when things go TERRIBLY wrong?
1. Chapter 1

_A Parent's Worst Nightmare_

**Chapter 1:**

Gabriella Bolton clung to the toilet bowl, and continued to empty her stomach contents. She didn't know why she had been feeling sick to her stomach the past few days.

"Gabi, I'm home!" Troy called from downstairs. Gabriella quickly flushed the toilet, scrambled to her feet, and rinsed her mouth out with the mouthwash on the sink.

"I'm up here sweetie!" she replied. A few seconds later, Troy was standing in the door to the bathroom. Gabriella stood on her toes, and kissed his cheek softly.

"How are you feeling?"  
"Okay, I guess. How was work today?" Troy wrapped his arms around Gabriella. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"I was worried about you the whole time. You sure you're up to going out with the gang tonight?" Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure. All of us haven't been together in ages." Troy looked reluctant to listen. "Don't you worry about me. Now I have to get ready to go." Troy gave Gabriella one final kiss, and went downstairs to wait for her to finish getting ready.

Once Gabriella was sure that Troy was downstairs, she began to dig around in the cabinet below the sink. At least, she found what she was looking for. Shoved in the back was a pregnancy test. Gabriella locked the bathroom door, and got ready to take the test.

Troy was lounged on the couch watching TV when he heard Gabriella come pounding down the stairs.

"Troy! Troy!" she yelled. Not sensing his wife's excitement, Troy rushed to see what was wrong.

"What? What's wrong?" Gabriella thrust the pregnancy test in his hand. Troy recognized what it was right away. "Are you-" Gabriella nodded.

"I'm pregnant!" she squealed. Troy picked Gabriella up, and spun her around. Finally, after trying for nearly two years, they were going to be parents. Troy put Gabriella back on the ground, and kissed her passionately.

"We're going to be parents," he breathed. Both were all smiles. "So, are we going to tell everyone tonight?" Gabriella stopped to think.

"Yeah, I don't like I could _not_ tell them." Troy gave her one last hug before they both got their shoes and jackets, and left to meet their friends.

Troy and Gabriella were last ones to arrive at the restaurant for dinner. The gang was all sitting around the table in the back talking.

"Nice of you two to finally join us!" Chad announced when he caught sight of the couple. Gabriella stuck out her tongue as she sat down between Troy and Kelsi. "Oh, _real_ mature, Gabi."

"Look who's talking," she retorted. Troy reached under the table, and squeezed Gabriella's knee before resting his hand on her thigh. Both were bursting at the seams to tell their friends their wonderful news. Just as the waiter arrived to take drink orders, Zeke and Sharpay's two month old son Matt burst into tears. Sharpay picked her wailing son up, and stuck a bottle in his open mouth. Right away, the infant was silent.

"Okay Boltons, what's up with those goofy smiles that have been plastered across your faces all night?" Zeke demanded as everyone began to eat their food. Tory and Gabriella looked at each other.

"What goofy smiles?" Gabriella asked, trying to act innocent, but nobody bought it.

"The goofy smiles on your face indicating that you're lying," Ryan replied. Gabriella turned to Troy.

"Should we tell them?" she asked him. Troy shrugged.

"Your call." All eyes were on Gabriella. Everyone was waiting to hear why the couple was acting so weird.

"I'm pregnant," Gabriella said simply. It took about a fraction of a second for her words to sink in. The gang all began to congratulate the couple all at the same time. The noise level from the table nearly doubled. Everyone was now talking at once, and trying to be heard. Gabriella smile. She was going to be a Mom.

By the time Troy and Gabriella got home, Gabriella was completely wiped. She changed into one of Troy's t-shirts, and slid between the covers. Troy crawled into bed next to her and kissed her cheek before resting his hand on her stomach. They both fell asleep to thoughts of their child.

**A/N:** There you go, Chapter 1. This is going to be a short story. I'm thinking about 5 or so chapters (of course I said that for _Road to Recovery_, and look at that story! It won't be _that_ long though). Please review. Much love!

Tina101


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Feebly, Gabriella made her way downstairs. She trudged into the family room, and curled up on the couch. After sitting there shivering for several minutes, she got up, turned the heat up as high as it would go, and curled back up on the couch with a thick comforter wrapped around her. Two weeks ago she had been thrilled beyond belief to be pregnant, but at this point she was miserable. Troy had even forced her to take some time off work to get better. Gabriella closed her eyes, and snuggled deeper under the soft blanket.

The phone ringing shattered Gabriella's sleep. Groaning loudly, she groped around on the floor next to the couch for the cordless phone.

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Gabi? I'm sorry, did I wake up?" Sharpay asked in a concerned tone.

"No, no, it's fine. What's up?" Sharpay noted how tired her friend sounded. The blonde was getting worried.

"Just calling to see how you're doing. You feeling okay, Gabi?" Gabriella sighed.

"I still feel really sick. I feel really achy too. You didn't need to call and check up on my, Shar."

"I'm worried about you. When I was pregnant with Matt, I wasn't _nearly_ as sick as you are. Maybe you should go see a doctor or something." Gabriella wrapped the blanket around her tighter.

"Troy put you up to this didn't he?"  
"No, I'm calling you on my own. We're all _really_ worried about you."  
"I'm fine, it's just morning sickness; that's all." Gabriella tried to sound convincing even though she doubted her own words ever so slightly.

"Promise me something, Gabi. Promise me that you'll go see a doctor if you don't get better soon." Gabriella began to cough violently. "You okay?" Sharpay asked when her friend was done coughing.

"Yeah I'm fine. There was something in my throat, that's all." Sharpay wasn't convinced, but didn't wish to get in a fight with Gabriella.

"_Please_ go see a doctor if you don't feel better soon," she pleaded.

"I'm fine Shar, really. I've gotta go. Tell Zeke that I said hi." Sharpay sighed and hung up the phone.

After Gabriella hung up the phone, she began to cough again. She grabbed her bottle of water off the coffee table, and drained the bottle of cool liquid. Her throat was scratchy, she had a pounding headache, and she felt altogether awful. She buried her face in her pillow, and let out a muffled sob before drifting back to sleep.

Later that night, Sharpay slid into bed after feeding Matt. Zeke draped his arm over her waist, and kissed her head.

"What's wrong honey?" he asked quietly, careful not to wake their sleeping son.

"I'm worried about Gabi. She sounded _really _sick today when I talked to her," Sharpay replied just a quietly.

"Maybe it's just the pregnancy. Some women are different than others when it comes to this kind of stuff." Sharpay shook her head, and rolled over to face her husband who was hovering over her.

"No, I think that it's more than the pregnancy. She had this _terrible_ coughing fit while we were on the phone." Zeke gave Sharpay a peck on the lips.

"Gabi's a big girl. If something was wrong with her, Troy would be all over it." Sharpay rolled back over with a huff. "Look, I'm sorry Shar, but I honestly think that Gabi's fine." Sharpay didn't answer. Sighing, Zeke rolled over. He wasn't in the mood to fight with her.

The following week, Troy moved the last of the boxes out of the spare bedroom that would become the nursery. He figured that he should do something to help out since Gabriella was still sick. It was well after two AM by the time he crawled in bed. When he kissed Gabriella's cheek, her realized that she was on fire.

"Gabi, Gabriella, get up!" Troy hissed. Gabriella moaned, and kept her eyes closed. "Gabi, _get up_! I'm taking you to the hospital."

**A/N:** Short chapter I know…I'm sorry! Things are starting to pick up now though. You honestly didn't expect everything to be alright did you? Umm…yeah…that's it I guess. Please review!

Tina101


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

Gabriella was too weak to argue with Troy as he got her into some sweats, and guided her downstairs and out to the car. Only when they were about halfway to the hospital did she begin to protest.

"I'm fine Troy, really. It's because of the baby; that's all," Gabriella said in a weak voice. Troy shook his head.

"If it _is_ the baby, then this is just an honest mistake, and the doctors at the hospital will be understanding." As Troy pulled into the Emergency Room entrance, a nurse came out with a wheelchair.

"What can I do for you sir?" she asked Troy. Troy got out of the car, and helped Gabriella into the wheelchair.

"My wife's burning up, and she's about three months pregnant," he explained.

"I'm fine Troy, really," Gabriella insisted as she tried to get up out of the wheelchair. The nurse gently pushed her back down.

"Please ma'am, sit down. You really don't look all that hot," she said. Gabriella opened her mouth to protest, but instead began to couch uncontrollably. Troy rubbed her back until she stopped. She leaned back in the wheelchair, and the nurse quickly wheeled her inside.

After Troy parked his car, he rushed inside to see where Gabriella was. He made several wrong turned, but finally found her room. Some nurses were running tests on her. A doctor went over to Troy.

"I'm Dr. Jeffries, I'm taking care of your wife. How long has she been feeling sick?" Troy stopped to think.

"About a week and a half. We thought that it was the baby at first; it's our first child. When I realized that she was burning up, I brought her straight here," he replied. Dr. Jeffries nodded.

"We're going to have to run some tests on her to find out what's wrong. There's some paperwork that needs to be completed." A nurse handed Troy a clipboard and a pen.

"Okay, yeah, umm…sure."

"You can go out in the waiting room to fill these out." Nodding, Troy went out to the waiting room. He sat down, and began to flip through the paperwork.

It took Troy longer than usual to fill out the paperwork. Every few minutes he'd stop and stare off into space. He barely remembered giving one of the nurses Gabriella' paperwork, or getting himself his first cup of coffee, or his second cup, or even his third cup. Troy started to make a mental list of whom he needed to call to tell about Gabriella being in the hospital. He had to call Kelsi and Jason, Ryan, Sharpay and Zeke, Chad and Taylor, his parents, and her Mom. The list seemed endless. Troy looked at his watch. It was 4:30 AM. He had been up for nearly twenty-four hours. His eyes felt heavy, and he soon drifted off to a light sleep.

"Mr. Bolton," Dr. Jeffries said as he shook Troy's shoulder gently. "Mr. Bolton, wake up." Troy's eyes flew open. "You could have laid down on the couch." Troy shook his head and looked at his watch. It was now well after six. He couldn't believe that he slept that long, especially with Gabriella being so sick.

"How's Gabi?" he asked, still waking up.

"She's sleeping. The medicines we have her on basically wiped her out completely," Dr. Jeffries explained as he took a seat across from Troy.

"So you figured out why Gabi's so sick?" Dr. Jeffries nodded.

"Yes, she has pneumonia."

"Pneumonia?" Troy rubbed his temples with his fingertips. He felt a headache coming on. He thought that it was a cold or something; not pneumonia. "And the baby?" he asked quietly. Dr. Jeffries looked at his folded hands in his lap.

"There's no easy way to say this, Mr. Bolton," he started. "But your wife suffered from a miscarriage due to the pneumonia."

**A/N:** Didn't see that coming did you? HA! Review please!

Tina101


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Troy put his head in his hands. This couldn't be happening. It was bad enough that Gabriella was in the hospital, and now this! Troy ran his fingers through his hair, and looked up at Dr. Jeffries.

"Does, does Gabriella know?" he asked. Dr. Jeffries shook his head.

"No, she's sleeping now. I figured that you'd want to tell her. we could have one of our counselors tell her if you don't want to."

"No, no, I want to be the one that tells her. I _need _to be that one that tells her," Troy said firmly.

"Of course. You may go see your wife at any time now." Troy shook Dr. Jeffries' hand, and went to go see Gabriella.

Gabriella was lying on the hospital bed looking pale and breathing in shallow breaths. Her right hand rested lightly on her stomach. Not being able to see his wife thinking that their child was still alive, Troy held her abnormally warm, limp hand in his hand. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks. All this felt like one horrible nightmare.

With a sharp intake of air, Gabriella's eyes fluttered open. She rolled over, and took several labored breaths.

"You okay, Gabi?" Troy asked. Gabriella nodded, and leaned back against the pillow behind her. Troy brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'm fine," she replied in a hoarse voice. Troy poured her a cup of water. With shaking hands, Gabriella drained the cup. "What time is it?" Troy looked at the watch Gabriella had gotten him for Christmas the year before.

"Just before eight AM." Gabriella closed her eyes.

"Have you been up the entire time?" Her voice was weak and hoarse. It didn't hold the same liveliness it usually did.

"I dozed off for a little while in the waiting room, but I was too worried about you to get some sleep."

"I'm fine, really." Gabriella tried to sit up, but she was too weak. "When can I go home?"

"You have pneumonia, I'm afraid that you're here for a while," Dr. Jeffries said from the doorway.

"Pneumonia?" Gabriella repeated. "No, no, it's morning sickness. That's all, morning sickness." She shook her head back and forth as she tried to sit up.

"Gabi, lay down," Troy said in a firm tone he never used. "Come on, you're burning up."

"I'm _fine_ Troy!" Gabriella snapped.

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Bolton," Dr. Jeffries said. "You have a very high fever. If you try and leave, which isn't happening right now, you'll only get worse." That caused Gabriella to lie back down. She didn't know about the miscarriage, and only cared about the baby. After Dr. Jeffries checked over Gabriella, he left the couple alone. Gabriella rolled on her side, and stared at Troy with half-lidded eyes.

"Call my Mom, Troy. She should be on her lunch break now," she said sleepily. Tory could tell that she was delirious. He gently stroked her dark hair, and kissed her hot cheek softly.

"Of course," he replied. I'll be right back." He got up, and went to go call all their friends to tell them about Gabriella.

Troy spent nearly an hour on the phone calling people. He kept insisting that everyone coming down would only wipe Gabriella out even more. After he went back to the room and found Gabriella asleep, he went down to the cafeteria for yet another cup of coffee.

As he was walking down the hall towards Gabriella's room, he heard a woman say, "Troy!" Troy spun around, and found Sharpay coming up behind him. He enveloped her in a warm, much needed hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay. Here, let's keep walking." Troy lead Sharpay to Gabriella's room, and leaned against the wall just outside the door.

"You're lying to me, Troy. What's wrong?" Troy sighed, and looked at the ground. Sharpay was starting to get scared. "Gabi's going to be fine…right?"

"As soon as he fever breaks, yes, she'll be fine."

"But…"

"But the baby's gone." Sharpay's hand flew to her mouth, and she gasped before giving Troy a comforting hug. "If I had brought Gabi to the hospital sooner, if I had listened to you, then this wouldn't have happened." Sharpay realized that Troy was crying. She had _never_ seen Troy come even close to crying. She was glad that she had come down to the hospital despite his protests; he needed support.

"This isn't your fault. It's a tragedy, but it's no one's fault." Troy pulled away from Sharpay, and wiped his eyes. "Does Gabi know?' He shook his head.

"No, I want to wait until her fever breaks." Sharpay nodded. "You know, Shar, you didn't have to come down here."

"I know, but I figured that you could use some company." The two heard Gabriella begin to cough violently.

"Troy?" she moaned. "Troy?" Troy glanced at the open door.

"Go see your wife. Give her our best, and I'll see you later." Sharpay gave Troy one final hug, and disappeared down the crowded corridor.

As Troy entered Gabriella's room, he wiped away any stray tears. He found Gabriella lying on her back with her eyes closed. Troy sat down next to her, and put his hand over hers. Gabriella opened her eyes, and rolled over.

"Where were you?" she asked sleepily.

"I got some coffee, and Sharpay stopped by to see how you're doing. She sends her best." Gabriella nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"I still feel sick, but I want to go home." Troy ran his fingers through her hair gently. She leaned into her touch, and closed her eyes.

"Maybe in a few days, I don't know babe. You should get some rest in the mean time." Gabriella held Troy's hand closed her, and dozed off.

That night, Gabriella insisted that Troy go home to get some real sleep. When he got home, he closed the door to the nursery. He still had the horrible task of telling Gabriella about the baby. Troy didn't get much sleep that night. All he could think about was Gabriella believing in a lie.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Two days later, Gabriella's fever broke. Troy knew that he had to tell her about the baby. After Dr. Jeffries left, Troy sat on the edge of Gabriella's bed, and hold one of her warm hands in his own hand.

"I need to tell you something," he said with a sigh.

"What, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked in a worried voice. Troy squeezed her hand.

"It's about the baby." Gabriella's hand began to tremble. "The baby's gone, Gabi," Troy said quietly. Gabriella fell back against the bed, and began to sob. Troy pulled her close, and stroked her dark hair. "Shh, shh, calm down."

"This is my entire fault," she sobbed into his chest. "I should have listened to you and Sharpay." Troy gently rocked Gabriella. It took him nearly half an hour to calm her down. "Why is this happening to us?" she demanded.

"I don't know honey, I honestly don't know."

That night, Gabriella had a horrible nightmare. She was standing in a dark room. All around her she heard the sound of a baby crying. She crumpled to her knees, and covered her ears.

"Stop, please stop," she pleaded before waking up in a cold sweat. Shaking, Gabriella rolled over, picked up the phone next to her bed, and dialed.

"Hello?" Troy mumbled. It was highly evident that he had been sleeping.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked, still upset about her dream.

"Gabi honey, what's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream, and, and I needed to hear your voice. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called. I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's fine. You would have woken me up if you were home; you're just adjusting a little." It pained Gabriella that she wasn't in Troy's arms at that exact moment. As if to read her mind, Troy said, "Don't worry, you'll be home in a few days."

"I know, but-"

"But nothing. You're not going to get better if you don't get some rest." Gabriella sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, Troy was right. "I love you, Gabriella."

"I love you too." Gabriella hung up the phone, and rolled over.

After Gabriella got settled, and nurse came in, and asked quietly, "You alright Mrs. Bolton? I thought I heard you talking to someone."  
"I'm fine. I had a bad dream, that's all." Gabriella squinted, because of the light from the hallway entering her room.

"Do you want something to help you sleep?" Gabriella _hated_ sleep aids. Her Mother used to use them all the time.

"No," she replied firmly. "I'm fine, really." The nurse said goodnight and left to make her rounds. Gabriella wrapped her blanket around her a little tighter, and soon drifted off to a restless sleep.

Three days later, Gabriella was released from the hospital. She was given several medications, but she absolutely refused to accept any anti-depressants. Troy helped her into the car, and they left to go home.

"You glad that you're finally going home?" he asked as he put his hand on Gabriella's knee. She nodded. She pressed her forehead against the window and closed her eyes. "What's wrong honey?" A single tear slid down Gabriella's cheek.

"I was so excited about having a baby, and now this." Troy rubbed her leg gently to calm her down.

"This doesn't mean that we can't have kids at all, it's just a minor setback in our plans," he said. He himself was still upset, but he had to be strong for Gabriella. Gabriella put her hand over Troy's, and they rode the rest of the way home in silence.

When the couple got home, Gabriella went straight upstairs to lie down. All she wanted was to be in her own bed again. She passed by the would-be nursery without a second glance, and went to the master bedroom. After Gabriella got settled in bed, she felt Troy lie down next to her. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her hair. Soon, both were asleep in the comfort of each other's arms.

**A/N:** Next chapter is the LAST! There will NOT be a sequel (despite the NUMEROUS protests I know I'm going to get once you read the ending!). Much love!

Tina101


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

The sound of the phone ringing shook Troy out of his sleep. Groaning, he rolled over, and picked up the phone next to the bed.

"Hello?" he asked sleepily.

"Oh sorry man, I didn't mean to wake you," Chad said on the other end.

"No it's fine, I was just resting."

"Sure you were. Taylor and I were wondering if we could stop by tomorrow and bring you guys some lunch."

"One sec, lemme ask Gabi." Troy gently shook Gabriella's shoulder. "Gabriella, Taylor and Chad want to bring us some lunch tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"  
"Yeah," Gabriella mumbled.

"Sure Chad, but Gabi's still really out of it."

"That's fine. So I guess we'll see you around noon tomorrow. Bye."

"Bye." Troy hung up the phone, and rolled back over to go back to sleep despite the early hour.

Late that night, Troy woke up to an empty bed. He got up when he saw that the bathroom light wasn't one. Gabriella was leaning against the doorframe to the nursery, staring at the empty room. Tory put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

"You okay?" he asked. Gabriella nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied.

"You should really get some sleep. Chad and Taylor are coming by for lunch around noon." Gabriella looked at Troy with a confused look on her face.

"They are?"

"Yeah, Chad called around 8:30. I asked you, and you said okay." Scowling, Gabriella shook her head.

"No, I don't remember you asking me." Troy kissed her forehead; she felt a little warm.

"Come on, let's get you to bed." Troy began to lead Gabriella to bed, but she stopped, swaying slightly. "Here, come here." He picked her up in his strong arms, and carried her to bed.

The following morning, Gabriella only got up to shower. She was running a slight fever, but Dr. Jeffries assured Troy that it was nothing. True to their word, Chad and Taylor arrived at noon. Taylor went straight upstairs to check on Gabriella.

"Hey honey," she said as she opened the bedroom door. Gabriella propped herself up on the fluffy pillows behind her. "Troy said that you're running a little fever." Gabriella shrugged.

"I guess. I feel a little off."

"Well, I have exactly what the doctor ordered." Taylor held up two bags of M&Ms, Gabriella's favorite candy. Gabriella smiled as Taylor sat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Aww thanks Tay."

"You're welcome. I have a question for you, and I want you to be honest with me." Gabriella listened intently. "How are you doing, emotionally?" Gabriella didn't answer right away.

"I don't know. Sometimes I'm fine with it, and other's I keep saying that it's not fair." Taylor gave Gabriella a comforting hug. "It's not fair Taylor. I was so excited to be a Mom. It sounds dumb, but I was so excited that Matt would have a friend." Taylor bit her bottom lip.

"Matt may have a friend his age anyway," she said. Gabriella leaned back against the pillows slightly startled.

"Are you…" Taylor nodded. Gabriella threw her arms around her best friend's neck. "You're pregnant! I feel _horrible_; you shouldn't be worrying about me!"

"It's fine. You're my best friend, and it's my job to be here for you. Just like all those times you were there for me when I called you well after midnight on the verge of an emotional breakdown." Gabriella smiled.

"Like you said, it's my job." Gabriella and Taylor talked for nearly an hour until Gabriella became tired. Taylor let her best friend rest, and went downstairs to join Chad and Troy. The coupled stayed for a quick lunch, but had to leave early for a doctor's appointment. Troy began to clean up the house, so Gabriella wouldn't have to worry about it when she got up.

Three months later, Gabriella paced in the bathroom impatiently. Her hands shook ever so slightly, showing how nervous and anxious she was. Every few seconds, she'd glance at her watch. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, time was up. Gabriella scrambled over to the sink, and looked at what she had been waiting for.

"Gabi, I'm home!" Troy called from downstairs. Gasping, Gabriella swept her stuff off the sink, and rushed downstairs to see her husband. "Excuse me ma'am, I'm looking for my wife, have you seen her? She's the most beautiful woman in the entire world." Gabriella blushed.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said as she swung from Troy's neck casually. Troy kissed the tip of her nose and shrugged.

"It was worth a try." He looked deep into Gabriella's eyes. They held a deep secret. "What's wrong honey?"

"Nothing's wrong, but I _do_ have to tell you something." Gabriella paused and kissed Troy tenderly. "I'm pregnant."

**THE END!**

**A/N:** NO SEQUEL! I'm sorry, but that's the only ideas I have. There's the smallest chance in the world that there'll be one in the future (like in a few months), but I honestly wouldn't get your hopes up. Now, I'm going to go hide from all the angry mobs you're forming because you're mad at me now. Much love, and thanks for all the WONDERFUL reviews!

Tina101


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